Chapter 6: Trust
New York City, Murray Hill
First Wave FOB
It has been few hours later since Sarah and her team rescued Aaron and were given information on Gordon Amherst possible location by Aaron.
Since then, Sarah consulted her fellow Division agents on their next move. There are those who wanted to move on Gordon immediately while the rest wanted to send a few people to recon the area first due to the nature of the location and also for the fact that the LMB were growing bolder everyday with them taking control of almost all of midtown.
Ultimately Sarah as leader made the decision to send a recon team to scout the area though some agents didn't take the decision too well.
Once the meeting was over, Sarah immediately went to the roof of the base and Aaron followed after her, wanting to tell her that he wants to be on the recon team but it was to cover his true purpose to acquire Gordon Amherst's virus printing equipment for his plan but he couldn't when he realized that she is talking to her kids.
"Mum are you okay? We saw the news and how bad it is getting there." Asked Lori.
"Mum are you hurt? Will you be coming home soon? We all miss you." Said Leni.
Afterwards the rest of the kids kept barraging her with question but were mostly concern for her wellbeing. Sarah was overwhelming in part for their concern for her but mostly due to just hearing their voice.
"Easy everyone, one at a time. Yes, I am fine at the moment. I manage to gather the surviving agents to my side and we are making some progress in retaking the city." Said Sarah trying to sound less tired as possible.
"Enough about me. How are things at your end?"
The kids went on to tell that everything was relatively normal aside from the fact that food was starting to dwindle due to the total lockdown of the country which in turn cause trucks to come lesser and lesser each month to prevent the spread of the virus but thankfully the kids had more than enough food to last for a year at most.
They also updated her on how their friends were doing. The McBrides were invited to stay over at the Anderson mansion and as always, they were well prepared for this event and brought along at the essential items which include food and a UV light sanitizer.
The Casagrandes on the other hand stayed in Great Lake City despite Lori's insistence to allow them to stay over and according to Lori's fiancée, things were touch and go at the beginning but soon stabilized after a few months.
Hearing this news was a welcoming to Sarah ears. It was then that Aaron revealed himself which surprised Sarah but she could tell that he has something to tell her.
"Ok I need to get back to it. We'll talk again in our next weekly updates." Said Sarah.
Once Sarah was finished talking, she turns her attention to Aaron. "I can tell what you want Aaron but I have to turn down your request."
Aaron wanted to ask for an explanation but Sarah cut her off. "Look Aaron, you just got out of a scrap with the Rogues and also some of my guys don't trust you just yet. Maybe if you pull your weight around here, they might change their opinion of you."
"Seriously I just risked my life to deliver you info on Gordon Amherst, just how paranoid is everyone become?" Asked Aaron
Sarah sighed at the question, having answer it many times to newcomers. "Aaron look around you! The city is in chaos! Three different army of degenerates and to top it off we have traitors among our midst!"
Aaron was shock to see Sarah so unhinged, he has known her for most of her life and the only other time she was anything like this was when her mother died during the 9/11 attack. It was a day where she changed course and joined the military.
"Ok, ok Sarah I'm sorry. Look I get it, you never want to be a leader and I know you never like being one but you always do a good job maybe even better than our former commander. Besides weren't you the leader of that CIA assassination squad during your mercenary days." Said Aaron.
"Hey I thought I told you to never bring that up again! Those were dark times for me." Exclaimed Sarah.
Things became awkwardly quiet for a moment before they both shared a laugh. "We always do this don't we Sarah."
"You mean argue than we have an awkward moment and then laugh together. Yes Aaron, yes we do."
Aaron and Sarah than stared at the night sky as they note how quiet it is in the city, something they haven't had since coming to the city, they have trouble decided whether it's a good thing or a calm before the storm.
As it was becoming too quiet for Aaron, he decided to break the ice but Sarah beat him to the punch. "Hey Aaron, you know ever since we got sent here, I keep on thinking of the past, more specifically about the kids and all the trails and tribulations we faced."
Aaron was there for some of those trails but he has a feeling which moment in life she is talking about. "Do you mean the time when The Patriots came and kidnap your kids and everyone you cared about?"
"… Yeah, and among other things." Said Sarah dryly.
"Well, I was there for some parts but do you want to talk about it after all it was the day when you became the first agent to activate." Said Aaron.
Sarah was slightly annoyed at how many times she heard that question but decided to relent to the request. "Fine but I think we should go back in and tell everyone the story as well."
Word began to spread throughout the base that Sarah was finally going to reveal the details of her first activation. It was a joyous event though not for those who are forced to be on guard duty.
The number of people who were there was intimidating but Sarah was not as she had expected such turn out.
"Ok everyone settle down now, I said settle down! Do you want me to tell my story or not!?" Sarah shouted to which everyone sat down and waited patiently for her to begin.
"That's better now where shall we start."
Six years ago
Royal Woods, Michigan
It was a nice normal day in the Anderson home, at least as normal as it can be and it's been four years since Sarah put a stop to the Forty-Six for good and just as Aaron, Sarah told her kids everything about her past and the Division.
Most of her kids were astounded, surprised and happy that she told them, all except Lola who not happy that her new mother was a secret agent working for the government. She was not happy as she knew what it meant to be a soldier and she can't accept the idea that Sarah might die if the government call upon her to serve.
Sarah tried to assure Lola that she isn't going anywhere unless the country is in danger but she didn't want to hear it, so in the dead of night she ran away from home.
Everyone was hysterical and tried to find her, even the entire town tried to help and after two months of fruitful search, they found her living with Aunt Ruth and tried to get her to come home but sadly she refuse to and what even hurts more was when she said as long Sarah could guarantee she would always be home. A question which Sarah knows has no right answer.
Since Aunt Ruth home was so far away, to compromise Sarah allowed Lola to move into the kid's former home on the condition that she lives with Leni, Luna and Luan, to which she agreed.
Lana who didn't want to be too far away from her twin again, asked Sarah to allow her to live who reluctantly allowed.
Five years passed, since then Lori has since graduated from college and began working at Lynn's Table with her mother, Leni who is still staying at their former home has also graduated and since open her own fashion line.
Luna graduated from high school and joined a music college in Great Lake where she lives in Casagrandes apartment building with Sam Sharp while Luan went onto college in Royal Woods and began working with Benny with her own party business.
Lynn had just graduated from high school and joined a sports school that specialized in molding youths into Olympians at Great Lake and also lives with Luna while Lincoln has become a successful comic book artist and started a venture with his best friend Clyde McBride.
Lucy is now in her final year in high school and has been taking up sports due to the fact that Lynn isn't around anymore and is surprisingly good at it but she always finds time to be her fellow members of the Morticians club.
Lana has matured a little since living in her former home and while still in middle school, she at times would be called upon by Bobbie Fletcher to be in her pit crew while Lola still continues with her career in beauty pageant though she still is unable to come back to the Anderson home for the yearly family gatherings.
Lisa graduated from elementary school and because of her genius level intellect let her skip multiple grades all the way through university where she is major in several academics and along the way, she also helped make several breakthroughs mainly in medical science and sometimes in military but only because she works on those with her mother.
Lily upbringing was mostly a happy one despite the family living in two different areas and while young she is wise for her age as she has at times shown a level of maturity that no kid her age has shown, most think this is due to Sarah's influence but Sarah herself thinks that in some way Lily is follow Lynn and Rita's teaching.
As for Sarah, the kids thought that she would be tried for her unauthorized action against the Forty-Six but no such action came much to the kid's relief. Sarah has since continued to run her old friend's business to the best of her ability and during her spare time she would either train her kids in self-defense, continue work on her SHD tech or even try to find clues as to who is the group that has taken up residence at Great Lake.
Within the five years, all Sarah could find were that they lead to an old enemy that she was sure she had destroyed, The Patriots, an American extremist group that believe in America is corrupt because of the rich and powerful and would do whatever it takes to topple the system that they build. The very same group that relentlessly hunted her and her men during her days as a Hunter.
Sarah had asked her former CIA handler to look into the matter and though she is anxious to know more, she had promised her kids that she would meet them at Great Lake City for Thanksgiving with the Casagrandes. It would be something that Sarah would come to regret in the coming days.
Outskirts of Great Lake City
Abandoned power plant/ True Patriot's outpost
For five years, the True Patriot set up this outpost to monitor Sarah comings and goings from Royal Wood whether to Great Lake itself or elsewhere but for the past few months they have noticed a lack of activity from their target which upsets their leader a lot.
The leader known for being impatient and ruthless man didn't like the fact that his mortal enemy has not move much for months but in some way, he expected as much from her since she is his complete opposite and because of that he cannot afford to wait any longer.
As the man stand in his room filled with intelligence about her, his second in command came in. "Sir other cells have reported that all our assets are in place, command want … they want us to pull out from Great Lake and join the New York cell when the attack begins."
This is not what he had expected to hear, he had already explained to his superiors that his forces need to remain at Great Lake when the attack begins but sadly it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
"I'll handle command, you just get our men … once Sarah's children arrive at the Casagrandes … we take Great Lake City from there the local governor will request the National Guard to wipe us out but we won't be easy prey now, will we?" Said the leader with a slight glee and with that his second left the room leaving him alone.
He then removed his mask to reveal a severely burned face and then his gloves which were also severely burned. "Soon Sarah, our score will finally be settled and soon I will have my vengeance."